Protective covers and tarps are well known for many uses, including the covering of vehicles. The most widely used form of vehicle cover is probably a simple tarp, that may be tailored to fit a particular vehicle. The tarp may be retained on the vehicle by an elasticized skirt that permits the cover to wrap partly under the vehicle. Where a cover is intended for daily use, it is desirable to provide retraction means that retract the cover into a vehicle-mounted compartment. Ideally, the compartment should be relatively compact. The cover should as well be capable of being relatively form-fitting and should retract into the compartment with a minimum of tangling.
The recent development of fabrics woven from Dacron.TM., Kevlar.TM., and other strong, thin synthetic fibers has made it possible to provide a thin, light, and flexible cover that may be stored within a relatively small case. These materials also tend to repel ice and snow, resist rot and mildew, and retain little moisture.
various retractable vehicle covers that retract the cover into a vehicle-mounted case, are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,298 (Yong O) discloses a cover comprising a flexible membrane, retractable into a case recessed into the trunk of an automobile. The case is provided with a motor-driven roller which winds up the membrane. Similar covers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,056,839 (Yoon) and 3,021,894 (La Due). These existing retractable covers operate well only if the cover comprises a generally flat sheet, since any fitting or forming of the sheet to allow it to cover the sides of the vehicle would tend to result in billowing, tangling, or uneven rolling as the cover is retracted. The use of a roller as the retraction means can cause particular difficulties: the cover can become unevenly rolled up about a roller-type retraction means and slip partly off the end of the roller. As well, the roller should extend the full width of the cover, and this may be impractical in many vehicles.
These drawbacks may be alleviated by the use of a cover provided with retraction means that allow the cover to be bunched, rather than rolled, into a compartment or case. These retraction means typically comprise one or more cords that extend longitudinally along the cover. The cords are retracted by cord retraction means, drawing the cover into a case. In prior art devices, the cords all extend the full length of the cover, and are engaged at their distal ends to a corresponding distal end of the cover. The cords may be slideably engaged to the cover between their distal and proximal ends, for example by threading the cords through sleeves or grommet arrangements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,541 (Coslett) discloses the use of a pleated cover, having cords extending along the side edges of the cover in a manner similar to a pleated window shade. Retraction of the cords causes the cover to be folded into a compartment. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,802 (White) discloses a cover intended to cover the bed of a dump truck, which consists of a sheet having cords threaded through grommets within the cover. Retraction of the cords causes the cover to be bunched into an open-top container positioned over the cab of the truck.
These existing cord-driven covers suffer several drawbacks, which the present invention has as its objects to address. First, retention to the vehicle may be difficult, since such covers are not provided with means to wrap over and partly under an end of the vehicle, as in the manner of a conventional tarp with an elasticized skirt. Second, since the cords all extend the full length of the cover, billowing of the cover may occur as the cover is retracted. It is desirable to provide intermediate-length cords, which when retracted together with the full-length cords evenly retract the cover with a minimum of billowing. Each intermediate-length cord is attached at its distal end to the cover at a position distant from the distal end of the cover. The intermediate-length cords serve as well to permit the cover to conform more closely to the vehicle when the cover is positioned over the vehicle; this may be accomplished by partially retracting the intermediate-length cords after the cover is fixed over the vehicle.
These drawbacks may be addressed by the provision of a cover adapted to wrap over and partly under an end of a vehicle, and having side cords that permit the cover to be cinched around the end of the vehicle when the cords are partly retracted. As well, the use of intermediate-length cords that extend but partway up the cover permits the cover to conform relatively closely to the shape of the vehicle, while permitting the cover to be evenly retracted with a minimum of billowing.
The full length and intermediate length cords must be retracted at different rates, in order to permit them to be fully retracted simultaneously.
The term "longitudinal" as used herein refers to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and the cover when positioned on the vehicle. The terms "proximal" and "distal" refer to the directions towards and away from the retraction means, respectively. The term "cord means" refers to cords, chains, cables, tape, and the like, any of which may be incorporated into the present invention with suitable adaptation.